09.28.08
Posted in DYI Tips at 4:10 pm by Administrator
Hello again from A North Texas Termite Specialist = A.N.T.T.S! We would like to talk about pest control tips for fall clean up around your home. About this time every year we get calls from Dallas / Fort Worth area residents that have a abundance of pest and rodent activity around their home due to the removal of clutter from the yard and garage. These cluttered areas are a great hide out for mice, rats and roaches. Stored wood against the house can also attract termites. We are happy to see you removing the clutter, but would like to help you protect your home at the same time of this clean up. First thing you want to do is wear gloves and a dust mask! This is very important when dealing with rodent droppings due to the diseases they carry and the dust particles in the air can get into your lungs and cause a variety of problems, some deadly! While moving clutter you may see rodents running away from the pile and towards your home, this is why you should purchase some good snap traps and glue boards and place them along the side of the wall. Rodents are pretty blind and use whiskers to run the sides of walls and will run right into your trap. Another good thing to do before you start your project is to buy some Ortho Boric Acid and dust the cracks and crevices including pipe lines so when the water bugs (American Roach) try to enter your home they will track trough the dust and it will kill them later on. Be sure to use the Boric acid lightly so they will not avoid it and run right through it. Lastly after you have removed all clutter from the side of your home you should maybe consider hiring a professional pest control company like A.N.T.T.S to put down a long residual pesticide that will ensure nothing left over from that debri pile will live long enough to enter you home. Hope this is helpful for you Dallas / Fort Worth Residents. If you ever have a pest control question that needs attention feel free to give us a call at 817-366-3130 A.N.T.T.S = A North Texas Termite Specialist.
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09.02.08
Posted in DYI Tips at 5:40 pm by Administrator
Hello again from A.N.T.T.S = A North Texas Termite Specialist. Don’t let our name fool you! We have been dealing with every pest control problem for many years around the Dallas / Fort Worth area. If it’s ants, roaches, spiders, fleas, ticks or termites we have treated them with success. Today we would like to help the good people of the DFW area with upcoming fall rodent & roach prevention. You can do many things to exclude these pest from entering your home or business. The first and most important thing is a in depth inspection to identify your pest problem and how they may be accessing you home. Things to look for when walking the outside perimeter is any hole the size of a dime. Rodents and roaches among other pest can gain access through these openings. Most pipe and wire entries are a good place to start, these areas are usually sealed by the builder but after time the caulk drys and opens up. Look at your eves and around the roof flashing, these are other areas that over time through natural movement cracks and crevices appear. After you do a full inspection you need to determine your pest problem. We suggest you where rubber (latex) gloves for this part. You are no going to become a pest poop professional. Yes pest poop! The best way to determine a pest problem is sometimes through fecal identification. When dealing with rodents you want to know if you have rats or mice ? Roof Rats are most common in this area and there feces will be much larger than Field mice, the fecal matter will be about 1/2 inch long and pointed unlike the Norway rat which is much larger. If you are dealing with mice the droppings will be much smaller about 1/8 and smooth
with pointed ends. This is good to remember because American Roach droppings are about the same size but are more block like and have flat ends with striations down the sides. Once you identify which pest you are dealing with you can start your exclusion. with rodents you may also want to look for rub marks along the walls and pipes. these greasy trails are from their dirty hair rubbing on the path they take to get in. After you find all dime size holes you need to take a trip to your local hardware store and pick up some caulk, stainless steel wool, and some Ortho Boric Acid. In some cases you may need some chicken wire for large openings. Take these materials and caulk the smaller holes use a little of the boric acid first this will help with roaches and other insects. Then stuff the larger holes with the steel wool, again dust a little boric acid first. Any large gaps should be closed by any means possible. If you take these steps and be diligent in doing so you will have great success in stopping these pest before they get out of hand. If you try all this and still have a problem we are always available for service anywhere in the Dallas / Fort Worth area! Call 817-366-3130 or visit one of our websites at www.anttspestcontrol.com or
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